Trip Date: September 17, 2019
Find this SpotThe stars had aligned to come up for a second work trip to hopefully finish the outhouse and put the roof on the deck. As it turned out, this was also the day that Vince and Ken were passing by on their way to Alturas, so it was to be a conflagration of events. Alas, the date unraveled for all things work related, but I was happy to go back up and share the place with Ken and Vince. So off we went.
I filled the truck with what has to be the last load of materials specific to the property. The last of the cinder blocks, cement piers, rolls of barbed wire, a pallet, and the 3 unwieldy rolls of field fence. The truck felt the weight a little more than I expected, but the load probably weighed a little more than I expected. The yard looks pretty big again and getting to the garbage cans is less of an obstacle course. I was excited to go back up, even though the weather looked a little iffy, and I got a good early start Tuesday morning.
I had come home straight down 395 to 80 last time and it was really fast, so wanting to make good time, I chose 80 again, but took 89 in Truckee up through Sierraville. Sierra Valley is so beautiful; you could never tire of seeing it in the different seasons. I was making great time and really enjoying the trip until I got stopped for a good 30 minutes right at the summit of Beckwourth Pass, the pass and the town named for James P. Beckwourth.
Beckwourth was an American mountain man, fur trader, and explorer. James was also famously known as “Bloody Arm” because of his skill as a fighter. He was mixed-race and born into slavery in Virginia. He was freed by his white father (and master), and apprenticed to a blacksmith so that he could learn a trade.
As a young man, Beckwourth moved West, making connections with fur traders in St. Louis, Missouri. As a fur trapper, he lived with the Crow Nation for years. He is credited with the discovery of Beckwourth Pass, through the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) Mountains, between present-day Reno, Nevada, and Portola, California, during the California Gold Rush years. He improved the Beckwourth Trail, which thousands of settlers followed to central California.
These thoughts occupied my mind for some of the many minutes I was stuck in the construction, but it seemed like an eternity just sitting and waiting. Released at last, the pull up 395 to A-3 in Buntingville was quick and steady to my usual gas stop at the Shell in Standish. I passed Karlo Road, which, towards the West goes out to a couple reservoirs and to the East heads out into awesome country to eventually intersect Smoke Creek Desert and Surprise Valley Road which heads into Gerlach.
Just a few miles further North on 395 is a turnoff to Ramhorn Campground between Shinn Mountain to the South and Spanish Springs Peak to the North. That road also continues East to connect with a ton of roads, one intersecting with Shinn Ranch road that comes back to 395 near Karlo Road, one that becomes a rough track out to several ponds and small water holdings, and one that continues Soutasterly and brings you to Smoke Creek reservoir and some real spectacular cliffs and jagged rock formations along the Nevada border. So much exploring to do, but it would have to wait for that mythical time when all the work is done and we have time to relax and enjoy and explore.
Just about from Karlo road and a real cool old farmhouse on the East side of the road and Ravendale, 395 passes through a narrow twisty stretch with mountain peaks on each side. As you leave that section, you drop right into the flat open expanse of the Madeline Plain, with Ravendale and its small patch of green trees, noticeable for many miles. The next patch of green trees, some 7 miles North is Termo, and our turnoff onto Termo-Grasshopper Road. We are about 11 miles West to the property from this intersection. I am getting better at finding the property from a distance as we replicate this drive, both from the East and the West. From the West, coming in from 139, the hill is easier to spot as it sticks out high above Dry Valley, so as soon as you get around Grasshopper Ridge, at about Mitchell Road and the Horse Sanctuary, I can pick it out.
However, from the East, coming off 395, it is more difficult. For one, Termo-Grasshopper road heads SW for a long stretch, which fools with your perspective. Then it hugs the base of the hills to bend back NW, out around to the base of our property to pass through Dry Valley Gap. From the top of the Hill near Ravendale-Termo Elementary School, I picked out a distinct notch in the ridge and tried my best to follow it as I continued West along Termo-Grasshopper Road. I think that notch is only a couple miles from our hill, essentially the continuation of our hill with Dry Valley Ridge, with the exception that somehow the gap was formed below our hill and the rest of the ridge. It was cool to mark a point so near the property from 6 or so miles out. It is all becoming so much more familiar.
The area definitely had received some rain as the roads were damp, preventing any dust from rising up from our tracks. The air smelled fresh and sweet, still picking up hints of sage and Juniper. I noticed Ivan’s bee boxes were still there and the bees seemed active and happy. I was active and happy too when I saw the fence still up and no tracks on the road. All was safe and sound. I still get chills driving up the road and thinking back on all we have done already, and all the trips out here. Up top, the tarps were wet, but doing their job, the tents were fine, and no cows were visible. There were definitely hoof prints in the road, but no poop, so good on ya.
The afternoon was sunny but with heavy clouds and a steady breeze. I unloaded the last of the materials in the bone yard and my kitchen stuff up top and walked around tidying up from my last rather hasty departure. I removed the 20 or so cinder blocks I had leveled and arranged as a base for the water tanks next to the outhouse. As I was losing interest with working, the boys called again to report they were turning onto Termo-Grasshopper from 139 so I decided I would grab a beverage and head up to the lounge to keep an eye out for them. The sun was warm and I almost fell asleep, but I picked up the glint off the glass of Vinny’s White Ford and followed their progress towards South Grasshopper. It was cool to watch them right below me without them having any idea they were being observed so closely.
I ambled down the road to greet them and celebrate their arrival. There was much rejoicing. I heard about their trip and how much they enjoyed the drive and the changing scenery; from the valley through the foothills, along Big Chico Creek and then Deer Creek, intersecting with Highway 36 and passing through the expanses of verdant meadows, passing alongside Lake Almanor and Eagle Lake, then the final couple miles to the hill. It really is a beautiful drive no matter which route you take.
I was super excited to show them around, but I also know how you feel after a long drive, and stops for construction and accidents and such, so we settled on celebratory shots of Wild Turkey 101 that Vinny brought, a beverage or 2, and sitting on the bench out of the wind overlooking Madeline Plain. This was the ticket. After a good rest and storytelling, the boys set up their tents and unloaded the rig. I gave them the short tour, and we walked down the road to the cemetery to pay our respects. Back up top, sustenance was in order so we pulled out some bread and cheese and pineapple chunks to soothe the soul.
The breeze wasn’t too strong or steady, but it was cold, so I got a little fire going and we gathered around the warm flame. Vinny whipped up a delicious brew of veges and tamales with an exceptional homemade mole sauce. OMG was it good. Thankfully I did not fully consume my last cocktail before I staggered off to my tent. I didn’t sleep well as the wind was alternatingly strong and calm, and the rain came and went and repeated. It was a loud night, but as I lay there, I was astounded at how cold and windy it was just on the other side of this 7 mm shear sheet of nylon. I was so warm and comfortable all sprawled out in my bed, dry, no worries, just happy as hell to have this tent and all of the incredible shelter it provides.
The morning was still spitting rain, blowing wind, and cold. The shitter worked well, both mine and the structure; although I did notice I had to pay attention to what I was doing so as not to make a mess. Thinking I was the first one up, I headed towards the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye saw a dark lump on the bench. I went around the tree, half expecting the form to be frozen or otherwise unconscious, but it was Ken and he was sending a text to Bill, who being on the East coast and taking care of his 3 grandchildren, was already wide awake. Ken decided to call Bill so we had a great chat and a few laughs, us on Hart Hill and Bill in Washington D.C.; goodness.
I got some coffee going and eventually a little fire as the cold was obvious and persistent. The showers ceased and the sun broke through the clouds, and the wind died down. It turned out to be a great morning. I was just picking up some of the stones in our paths around the kitchen and stacking them on the fire corral. I noticed how much easier it was to pull out the rock in the moist soil. I made a considerable amount of progress so I grabbed the pry bar and worked my way around the other side of the Juniper to our bench, the first time this route had been cleared. On the lee side of the tree, I couldn’t help but have another coffee and hang with the boys a moment.
I asked Ken and Vince to help me put up the last of the weather paper on the shitter so we gathered at the truck. I saw I hadn’t unloaded the cinder blocks from the bed of the truck yet so they helped me get those out and stacked alongside the spot we have in mind for the water tank and the shower.
Down at the shitter, many tiny hands made quick work of putting the paper up. Even being up on ladders, having someone on another ladder and someone on the ground just makes everything go quicker. Finding the scissors, getting a scrap of paper to finish off a corner, loading more staples in the gun, finding the gun, handing me my knife, moving the ladder, picking up the paper blowing away down the road; it is so simple with help, and maddeningly so much work and effort alone. We straightened up the ladders and shovels and tarps at the shitter and the bone yard, and went up top to enjoy our progress.
We were sitting on the deck and talking about the kitchen and cabinets and the pony wall and the glass doors and trying to get their ideas for how it might come together. We somehow got to talking about the wire cage Haley and Brett had made that was up against the deck and before you know it, I was handing them rocks to fill it up with. We used all the nearby rocks and had to form a chain as we scrounged rocks further away, but we soon had it filled and ready for the barrel to feed the sink water. Progress.
The boys were packing up their tents and letting things dry out in the sun. I began trimming the sage in the area we had set aside for the kitchen water tank and adjoining shower as K had suggested. I ran some string from the deck posts out to where we would set the water tank, which I just now realized would not be the line of the gutter (not from the edge of the posts but from the edge of the rafters/roofing), but nonetheless, cleared all the brush in the area and dug out some roots, but will still have to remove some rock and level it all for the cinder block base of the tank and shower. Progress.
Just picking at these few little projects, we made great progress. I felt really good about getting all the paper put up on the shitter, clearing more of the paths, adding to the fire corral, filling up the rock base for the barrel, and clearing the spot for the water tank and shower. It was just a little bit of effort, but it felt like real evolution. The day was now warm and calm and some lunch and beverages were in order. Vince and Ken made some awesome sandwiches we enjoyed on the bench as we prepared for the next part of our day. The boys were headed into Alturas and I was headed home. It was great to share the property with them and introduce them to everything it has to offer. I hope we will have many more trips up there and other destinations as we continue our long friendship, exploring and sharing so many adventures.
September 26, 2019
This was the week that we again had thought to be gathering the troops for a big push. Bob had given me the dates long ago and wrangled Steve to help too. Mike and I put it on the calendar weeks ago. We were to come up Tuesday, then Bill joined the fracas, coming up Wednesday, then Bob and Steve would come up Thursday and Friday. Mike had music Friday and Saturday, so he was heading back Thursday. Laura was having a birthday party for her 5 year old daughter Saturday, so I wanted to be back for that.
Unfortunately, it all unraveled. It began with the ever evolving weather forecasts. Many minutes were wasted looking at updates on multiple weather sites that started in the beautiful for the entire week range to rain, snow and big winds mid week, and then back to very good. So much gnashing of teeth and searching for answers, or at least stability. We came up with alternatives and options, and tried to be flexible with departures and schedules and all, but all for not.
The wobbly vibrations of the weather intensified in the instability of the trip due to human health concerns. Edna’s sister Nancy was diagnosed with cancer for a second time, and they were helping her with appointments, doctors, transportation, etc., so Mike would not be able to come. Then Bob’s mom fell and broke her arm requiring surgery. Then Bill got sick. The K’s mom had a multitude of troubles and K was having another painful check up to her nose, and Steve had to do childcare, and, and, and…Good grief!
I knew I was not up for Tuesday, so I stayed on the couch. Wednesday was tempting, but I was not quite ready. I got a few things done in the yard, took down the tables on the deck and a few of the PVC cages I made to support the shade tarps. I cleaned up what was left of the highly degraded plastic tarps, much of them having been reduced to cancer causing dust and fine particles. Oh my!
By Thursday, I was ready to rock. I left home at 5:15 and was up on top of the hill by 9:30. It was awesome. Calm, warm, quiet. The bee boxes were still there at the corner of the cemetery, but no cows on the hill. No signs either up top; no prints, poop, or other proof of penetration. I got to work on the outhouse; put a peeler core pole base down for the water barrels, got the barrels strapped in, attached a plywood wall at the end of the barrels to protect the sink, fastened the sink base to the back wall, secured the 55 gallon barrel on top of the base, sprayed more foam in the cracks, stapled the paper on better as we will probably not get the shingles up, got the gutter attached and set into the tops of the barrels ready to catch rain, screwed the lid on the terlit seat, set the sink on a base to figure out the drain pipe situation. It is near done except for the cedar shingles.
I pretty much knew I wouldn’t cook that night, but I didn’t expect the night to come so quickly. I think sunset was at 7:00 ish and it was dark by 8. I stopped working about 6 and had a few beverages, walked down to say hello to the boys, and back up top, had time for one more beverage before the wind and cold got the best of me. I was in the tent by 8:30 reading my book on the Madeline Plains, which was cool to be doing…on the Madeline Plains. I talked to K about 9:00 and I was out by 10. Sleep was on and off, but the wind died down and it was very pleasant. I had one of the best star experiences of my life as the stupid moon was nowhere to be seen.
I usually am half asleep when I get up to pee. That is the sole purpose for being up, pee and get back to bed as quickly as possible. I am just not a night guy and fret about being cold and uncomfortable, so I zip up and get back to sleep as quickly as possible. This night though, although I felt like I was sleeping well, when I woke up, I was pretty awake. My eyes were open and my vision clear. The air was cool but not at all cold and it was perfectly still and silent. When I got my head out of the tent, I could see the Big Dipper almost due North, totally vertical, handle down and spoon on top. It was the first time I recall seeing it up and down like that. The Milky Way was dazzling. It was oriented NW – SE; again I feel like I have only seen it basically North and South. I stayed up a minute or two, which was a long time for me, and marveled at all that was new to me.
I got up at dawn and got coffee going. As just about every morning has been, it was calm and spectacular. The horizon was brightening and so was I. Today I was focusing on building the wall on the north side of the kitchen deck and I was stoked, but I was also confused. I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted this thing nor how to begin. I wasn’t sure I wanted to run the generator as it is so loud and annoying. I wasn’t sure which materials to use, the old thin plywood or the new nicer sheets. I just walked about, back and forth looking, pondering, questioning, having more coffee. I was perflumoxed.
Finally, I grabbed a 2×4 and screwed it to the deck. It had been decided. Before long, I had a wobbly frame, and then crappy plywood on the inside bottom and good plywood on the inside top, then it got secured to the 4×6 posts and seemed to be solid. Then I used a full sheet of good plywood and pieced together the rest of the outer wall, and she was solid as hell. I made every cut and all the “trimming” with my chain saw and it worked fine. The wall is a hair higher than perfect and I’d like to add a wide shelf on top of that, but it is very strong and solid as hell, and really got me excited about the kitchen and having some wind protection.
I called K to tell her I was done and realized it was already 1:30. My hell. I had thought about leaving around 2ish, but that was not going to happen. The wall took a long time to start…I gathered up the tools, and cooking, and food, and drink, and pots and pans. I stowed the chairs and things I was leaving behind. I cleaned up a lot of debris from previous work and trips and winterized the materials under the tarps and protection. I went down to the bone yard and cleaned up there and straightened things up and gathered more debris. I left about 3:00 feeling really good about the day on the shitter and the day on the kitchen wall and sprucing up a bit. It was cool to have our first water collection system in place to see how that works. Little by little. Progress!
I listened to 4 Dire Straits albums all the way home. What a fine finish.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
I had been hoping Bill would be able to come up and see the place for a while, but he was traveling, and sick, and this and that, so it finally came to be that we had a good date. I let Mike, Steve, and Bob know, and it seemed to work for Mike and Bob, so I was getting excited to get up there and get some things accomplished. Mike was going to a Dr. appointment Thursday so we would have to wait and see how that went, but Bob was solid for a Thursday departure even after a late night in the City listening to Jazz.
I had again scored a major piece on Craig’s List for free and had met Mike in the City on Sunday to pick it up. We met at a sweet old place up in Diamond Heights near 28th and Diamond with great views of the Bay and East Bay area. Mike helped me load a modern, dual pane 5’x6’ window into the truck and then we ate and had a couple drinks at the Valley Tavern on 24th between Castro and Noe. It was really fun to be in that part of town with Mike, especially after making such a sweet score.
I brought the window home from SF with the window on edge, vertical in the back of the truck. It leaned to about 70 degrees, but it found a comfortable and stable position and rode home without incident. K had to help me lower it and lay it flat on the rails to get the truck in the garage, and this is how I brought it up to the property. I was able to load the few things I was bringing up under the window in the truck, only the generator higher than the rails to catch the weight of the window.
I left the house fully loaded Thursday morning about 6:00 and Bill was not far behind. I had gone up 80 to 89 to 395 the last few times and had made really good time, except for the construction on 70 before Hallelujah Junction, so I figured I would make time and go this way again. Sierra Valley is so beautiful, and it is nice to get off 80 in Truckee, just after having made it over the pass. The construction wait time wasn’t bad, basically a long pee break, being able to position myself between the big rig in front of me and my truck. Before Long I was gassing up at the Standish Shell, and making my way through all the stupid cows along Termo-Grasshopper Road.
Unlocking the gate and heading up top, all was as it was left. I got to unloading the truck and taking the tarps off all our material piles, as with Bob coming, I hoped to be tying into them in a very significant manner. Bill came up the road within an hour and was duly impressed. We enjoyed a beverage and a brief tour and set about deciding where to put his tent. He was set up in no time, and I was feeling like I had everything ready to get at it. After showing Bill around for a bit, we decided to try to set up his nail gun and get that going so we could hit it first thing in the morning.
Bill read over the directions and I prepared the work site. I saw that Bill had bought a new attachment to drive in regular nails instead of just the finishing nails he had. What a guy. Before long we were “testing” the gun with a nice bottom row of shingles. I would select it and place it and Bill would shoot it in place. The first row was rough because we had to bend way over to try to see, line them up, shoot the nail straight, etc., but the third and fourth rows were sweet. We had the hang of it and the gun was working great, so we figured we knock off after a long day of getting up here and setting up. We were in really good shape.
The wind was picking up and the temps were falling down, making dinner a tad less than ideal. I heated up a ton of yummy cheese and spinach ravioli’s from Costco and slurped them down with a few cocktails. The wind was pretty fierce, so we unloaded the window and hauled it up to the deck and strapped it to 2 posts. This just seemed to form a wind tunnel as even with the BBQ up on the deck behind the window, we just got a lot of smoke blasted in our eyes without the benefit of any warmth from the flames. It made one want to turn in to the comfortable confines of a warm, smoke-free, wind free tent.
Having figured out the nail gun and put a few rows in place, I was excited to get going in the morning. It was calm and beautiful and after coffee and running the shitter through its paces, we got to work. It was so much easier with Bill there to do it together than struggling through it alone. I could pick a shingle, roughly set it in place, and Bill would nail it. Then back for another and so on. The only slowdowns were trying to find or trimming pieces for the ends and then on the back around the window and under the sloped roof, but before long we had the East and South sides done.
At the Iron Mountain resort where we got the shingles, the upper rows just under the roof were a shorter and thicker shingle, so I intended to again use these as a sort of finishing trim as well. I also had made quite a mess with all the insulating foam, and a row up tight against the bottom of the roof would help hide all of that. These are the little details that both really make a project look good and really take a lot of time. Now Bill was way up on the extension ladder placing these thicker shingles in place and taking a few at a time, holding on to them while setting and nailing and not falling off the ladder took some balance and patience.
Bill got those in place and then we moved down along the Eastern eave. Setting them around the air vent pipe was also tedious, but nothing matched the tiny cramped spaces in the back. The tediousness of it all was kind of exhausting. We finally finished with all the trim and were preparing to get to the West side, around the water barrels anyway. I needed to eat and replenish, so we decided to stop for lunch. It turned out to be just about that time, and just about the time for Bob to come crawling up the hill.
There had been talk of Mike coming and he not being with Bob we wondered what happened. It turned out they had talked and were ready to come up together, but in the morning, Bob was waiting for Mike to come to his place and Mike was waiting for Bob to pick him up. This is a familiar tune I think. After some time, Bob called Mike and it was decided he would come up and Mike would drive up later or not. So after getting the skinny on Mike, we went to inspect the project.
He was most impressed with our work, well not our work up close so much, but how the shingles looked from afar. It really picked me up to see him and to see how pleased he was with the look. As much as I was looking forward to finishing those shingles and not having to think about them anymore, Bob was leaning towards getting to the roof, and that was good with me. We got up top, and Bob set up his tent and unloaded while Bill and I ate and recovered. Pretty soon Bob was asking about materials and saw horses and such so our break was over.
Bob was pleased with the decking and my pony wall, so we were off to a good start. We hauled a bunch of 2×6 over to the deck, set up the generator and backed the truck over to the site, and in no time, Bob was calling out measurements that I would cut and hand up to Bill to help Bob set in place. It took a few boards to hit our stride but we got the horizontal rafter supports in place in no time. Bob set bolts in place at each post to really strengthen the frame. Soon, we were spacing the rafter across the horizontal supports. I ended up not getting the right kind or metal hurricane braces so we had to think that through and do the best we could. It was really looking like a roof.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rig coming up to the top and my heart sank, not really expecting or wanting visitors. But low and behold, it was Mike and there was much rejoicing. I was really happy he decided to stick with it and come up even after the communication breakdown. I showed Mike the tent spots under the trees and let him do his thing while we got back at it. Now another rig pulled up the hill and I really got nervous. This turned out to be our neighbor Dale. Dale really keeps an eye on the area. With his rifle in the front seat and his binoculars around his neck, white cowboy hat, chew, beard, wranglers, cowboy boots, and 2 dogs in the passenger seat, he is quintessential cowboy.
He was happy to see us and I greeted him warmly. He lives by himself at the upper end of Dry Valley, a mile from South Grasshopper road, so he sees very few people. Especially during hunting season, he gets suspicious of the slow drivers along S. Grasshopper that he can watch from his house. If they don’t move along, he comes out to inspect, and intercept if need be. This was the case with a white Ford work truck with a big black rack in the back. I had seen it turn off Termo-Grasshopper and head South on S. Grasshopper. He must have cruised past Dales’ place a couple times, enough to raise suspicions.
By the time he got to our road, that truck was gone, but he saw Ivan the bee guy at the cemetery so he went over to see what he was up to.
While talking to Ivan, Dale noticed our gate was down, so he wanted to make sure nobody was up there but ussens’. I am really glad he did and that he is there to keep an eye on things and is so intent on doing so. It may not be too much longer we have Dale’s services so I am happy to enjoy them while we can. I brought Dale up to the deck and introduced him to the boys. He was real impressed with the work, but instantly noticed my braces weren’t the right ones. Dale knows his shit. He ambled up the rough rocky paths up to the cocktail lounge and was very impressed with the view. He said he had never been up top here so he got a big kick out of it.
He had a tough time getting down, but he made it. Finally relenting to bend over and use his hands for support. Back at the deck he soon had both the guys engaged in stories, and tales and legends. I happy to have Dale visit, but I also wanted to get my crew back to work. At some point, Mike came up having finished setting up his tent and that sort of broke things up. Mike got to helping the boys and I walked Dale back to his rig. By the time I came back, Bob had reinforced all those metal braces, adding another level of strength to the frame. With all the rafters in place, it was time to call it for the day.
This was one of the very few afternoons that the wind was calm. It was an incredible night. We had cocktails and BBQ’d and sat on the deck admiring our work. We had a nice fire in the corral and spectacular stars. Mike and I saw a huge falling star, a bright ball dropping out of the sky. Mike dialed in the Houston Astros playoff game, and although I couldn’t stay awake for the 9th, it was awesome to sit out on a great night, after a great dinner, around a nice fire, listening to the ballgame.
Sleep was off and on, thinking about the project, hearing the wind, being hot and cold, tossing and turning, but I was stoked to get going with a full day with 4 guys, even if it was only 7 arms! Coffee was excellent and a little morning fire loosened up the limbs until we were picking at materials and tools and extension cords and such. It was time for 3 rows of bracing in between the rafters before we could get to the actual roofing. Mike was a little restless not being able to do too much with his arm, so I got him down to the shitter to make the screen for the window, a project that had long been on the to-do list. With Mike getting that done, and making progress on the bracing, I was stoked.
With Mike done, it was time for lunch. He made us great sandwiches and we sat around the bench and hydrated. It was tough to get back to it, but we were ready for roofing material and that was super exciting. Laying them all out, we realized only a couple were exactly the same length, exactly the kind of thing you get when you use used materials. After much measuring, and discussion, and opining, and gnashing of teeth, it was decided. We took some time to get the first piece set correctly and the rest went fairly smoothly. Luckily we had the silicone and caulking gun to fill all the “extra” holes, some of our making and some from its prior life. Much to our surprise, Mike came up the hill to announce he was leaving. He felt bad about things so he was heading out. It was real disappointing.
With the last piece of 3 foot wide roofing to be put in, we only needed 1’ of space to be covered. Being the mathematicians we are, we double overlapped the sheet and screwed her in place. With our luck, it left just enough to fold over the outside of the last rafter and screw it down, making it look like it was meant to be all along. This was a perfect ending to a great day. It was definitely cocktail hour and the fires were burning in no time. Very much pleased with ourselves, and Bill’s added level of detailed measuring and specificity, we had again achieved a great deal in a short period of time, and it looked good and people were happy with its strength and quality.
Bob BBQ’d 3 pork chops that Mike left behind and they were delicious. Bill made an outstanding pulled pork concoction with homemade coleslaw and buns. OMG, it was deliciousness. The night again was calm and we hung around the deck and the fire corral. We were so entertained by the ballgame the night before, Bill figured out how to download the MLB app to his phone, buy a month’s subscription, send it through his Bluetooth to broadcast on his speaker and “presto”, we listened to the Dodger game on the radio. Although I again could not stay awake for the 9th, it was a spectacular day and night.
Sleeping again was moderate, but I felt great rumbling around with the stove and fire on a predawn morning. It was cold, but calm, and not at all terrible. I did give some thought to how we might rig a seat warmer in the shitter though. With fire and coffee in spades, we had to negotiate what we were going to try to accomplish this morning. Bob wasn’t in a hurry, but he wanted to leave before noon. Bill didn’t really have a timeline, but I was hoping to get everything up on the deck that should go up there, and then everything else, all the remaining materials off the ground and covered. My plan was about to be wrecked.
Before I could really crack the whip, up comes Dale again, this time for no particular reason but to shoot the shit with the Boys. We got him a cup of coffee and he proceeded to chat about last night’s ballgame and all things relevant out in the Madeline Plains. He is a great guy with stories and adventures and experiences, but this time loss was cutting into my profits. After his coffee, he loaded another chaw, so he didn’t want any more coffee. Knowing the boys were a tad antsy to get what I wanted done and still leave at a reasonable time, I had to crack the whip and get the boys moving, which also let Dale know it was time for us to get at it. Being one of the sharper sticks in the drawer, he got it right away and we headed down to his truck so I could say hello to the doggies. Wishing him well, he headed on back down the hill.
The morning moving went really smoothly until it didn’t. We carried the 2 – 48” base cabinets over to the kitchen, and the old oak/tin cooler Mike got at the flea market. We carried over the 7’ tall cabinet and pondered its eventual placement. We delicately gathered what was left of the brand new high quality Lowe’s sink base and plopped it on the deck. Now it was time to wrestle that granite counter top. Bill devised a crafty way to carry it close to the ground with the ratchet straps and so we felt like we had a pretty good approach. Bill had the front strap, I was on the other side about 1/4 the way down, and Bob was pushing and steering from the rear, a position from which he excels.
We decided to push/slide it across the parking lot to the beginning of the trail. On the count of 3, we made good progress dragging/pushing it to the Bob Dunn Memorial trailhead where we stopped and gathered ourselves. Bob straightened out the rear end, and together we mounted another push about a third of the way up the trail where we stopped to realign our approach. At that point, we got disconnected. Bill had dropped his strap and had grabbed the arm of the counter that was created from the cut out of the sink. Neither Bob nor I were prepared to start hauling again, leaving Bill to yank on that arm, enough to elevate it but not to pull it forward. The arm suddenly broke off and the counter smashed down on Bill’s foot. This was not our finest hour.
Bill is a tough sucker and after a few choice words and pacing back and forth, he didn’t think it was too bad, although obviously it hurt like hell. We all regrouped and strapped up and heaved her up onto some boards that just happened to be laying there. They made the pushing easier and then allowed us to pivot and get Bob’s end up on the deck. It was simply a matter of pushing the counter up on the deck, leaving the arms, or arm at this point, hanging over the edge for me to try to cut off so it would fit on top of the base cabinets between the posts. We heaved her up there and turned our attention to Billy, who was in obvious pain, but also trying his best to stay in denial.
We eventually convinced him to sit down and take his shoe and sock off and check it out. Bob had some cleanser and bandages he put on, and although he probably didn’t feel any better, Bob and I did. We had a shot of whiskey for the pain and another to celebrate no more serious damage being inflicted. With the heavy lifting complete, Bobby made his escape. It was only 11:00 am so all were happy. I know Bobby was pleased with the progress and the work, and I know he really loves it up there, and I am more than happy to share it with him, but we couldn’t have done any of this without his guidance and knowledge and experience, so we will forever be grateful.
Bill was hobbling about so we decided to pack up our tents and belongings, and be ready to go, and then get to picking up and organizing, and winterizing. Since I was still figuring on at least one more trip up, I didn’t take my tent down, but I did take down the table and stove and cast iron we were using in our temporary kitchen, this being the historic event that it was, and we would be using our real kitchen from now on.
I just wandered up and back and back and forth, picking up ladders, wood scraps, tools, materials, and loading what I was taking home and piling up what was to stay. Before long, I had all the tools and all the excess materials and scraps loaded up. We basically had the place winterized, with the stuff staying behind well covered and secured, and camping gear, garbage, water, etc. coming home with me up in the truck. It was incredible how much we got done without really pushing or forcing anything. It was a beautiful day, and I had my shirt off enjoying a beverage with Bill on the deck, enjoying our accomplishments, and the day, and being here, together. It was awesome, except for the bloody toe.
Billy, being the awesome kindly soul he is, left some water and soap out for me to wash, and even though he kept dropping it, I was able to clean up and refresh without a reportable incident. I held aside some clean clothes and beverages for the ride home, so we were rolling about 2:00. I was hungry, but didn’t have any snacks for the drive. The liquids kept me nourished until I again hit the Shell in Standish, this time for a Family sized bag of Sour Cream and Onion Chips. Naughty! This deliciousness got me to a McDonald’s in Colfax. I often crave for McDonald’s fries, but rarely stop. Last time, I saw a billboard about the new McDonald’s in Auburn, so waited for that exit, hunted around for it, but couldn’t find it, so ended up getting some disgusting shit at Jack in the Snatch. Big mistake.
This time I was determined to find that stupid McDonald’s, but when I saw the sign for the one in Colfax, I figured it might be a nice one with easy in and easy out, and boy was that a good decision. Nobody in line, super nice, seemingly intelligent staff, barely slowed down through the drive-through, and when the girl said to be careful with the hot fries because they just came out, I was in heaven. Back on 80 in no time, the fries still weren’t salty enough, but they were good. More than I can say about the double McStuffin or whatever it was. Their burgers just aren’t that good. Feeling ill from the crappy fast food constructed from unknown waste and by-products, I was home before dark, and happy to be there.
Thanks for all your help boys!
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
I think this officially makes it one year since we have been to the property and I am pretty sure it was Steve and I who first arrived on its slopes. I remember we found a couple of the BLM monuments and walked the eastern boundary where the fence fell down. It was pretty cold and windy and up on top I got a call from Jean that I couldn’t quite make out because I still had AT&T and the reception was bad. I don’t recall exactly when that was, but it was pretty close to one year ago. That is hard to believe. This place has become so special and we have done so much and I have put so much into it. I am excited to see what the Spring brings.
Mike and I had talked about trying to come up at least once a month and I think we pretty much did. He knew October would be near impossible with all the Octoberfest music, so we set our sights on this first week of November. With Edna’s sister Nancy getting a second diagnosis of cancer, and then on the eve of her sister Mary coming down from Colorado to help out with Nancy she too gets her second diagnosis of cancer, it was just too much for him to make it. I was determined to get up there before the rains to put a few water bars across the road and to take another look around to make sure we were in good shape for winter wind, snow, and rain. I put the word out and Steve took the bait.
I was excited to show Steve all that had been done up here since he had been up a few times in the early days, but not recently. Much had been done. I picked Steve up about 5:30 and we were on the highway by 6:00. I had looked into bakeries and such on the way up and found the CoffeeBar Bakery in Truckee, and Italian themed hipster place. We got there just after the doors had opened and eagerly picked out some sweet morsels and large coffees. They obviously aren’t used to satisfying old guys as they were unable to explain where the bathroom was. We searched all over the parking lot and the entire complex and never found it. It wasn’t until we had gotten back on the road that we saw the sign. Oh well, another pit stop further down the road.
We went up and down 89 dropping into Sierra Valley and wishing we had another sign to leave at Keir’s place. I had a CHP flash his lights and then pass me in an apparent effort to send me a non-monetary message to slow down. I was happy to not get another ticket having the last one just recently come out of my bank account. Bastards! We were up on the hill before 10:00 and I was proudly showing Steve all that we had accomplished. He was really stoked to see how far it had come and how good it looked. We had a couple celebratory beverages and Steve set up his tent. We ate a little and could easily have settled in for the afternoon, but, we had quotas to meet.
It was a beautiful warm, calm, sunny day and we decided to walk the road first to get a better idea of where and how many water bars we wanted. While down at the bottom, we said hello to the boys and got caught up. Heading back up, we figured 6 water bars would be sufficient so off to work we went. Within a few strokes of the pick, my shirt came off, even though the digging was really easy as expected down the bottom. Out first ditch went in across from our first camp site before the road even went in. Up a hundred yards or so, we dug another. The only “work” we really had to do was to clear a path through all the rocks and debris that had been piled up from the road construction so the water collected in the ditch had an easy run off the road.
After the third one went in real nice, I thought we should stop and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening since we only had the one night. We gathered on the deck and enjoyed the kitchen area, taking full advantage of the counter space and the cabinet; just having elevated space to put stuff instead of having to bend over for everything was a huge plus. I brought my speaker from Bill and the charged up battery pack from Costco and we had some great tunes going. I got fires going in the corral and the Weber situated just off the deck. Dusk came quickly, but we were ready.
Steve brought some outrageous pork chops and zucchini and I made melted ham and cheese sandwiches that were a spectacular snack. A cocktail or two, delicious meal, righteous tunes, outstanding fire, great sunset, stars, and moonrise; a great night.
I didn’t sleep great, but I was up early, visited the luxurious shitter, and got fire and coffee brewing. We had a nice leisurely morning, each enjoying our final biscuit from the bakery, but I was concerned about the last 3 water bars being higher on the road in the rockier areas. However, they went in way easier than I could ever have expected. We got really lucky in our placement in that we were working in the softer fill that Mike had brought in as the road surface, rather than fighting with rock. We only had to divert our straight ditch around 2 rocks; very minor detours that would not at all impact their effectiveness. We wrestled with 3 boulders to clear a nice water path for the runoff and were done by about noon
I was so stoked the work went so well; a good even pace, no rush, no intensity, no injury. We had time for a celebratory beverage and a little lunch and were locking the gate just a few minutes after 1:00. It was great to get up there with Steve and I really needed and appreciated his help. It would have been miserable work without him and taken me 5 times longer. As I scratched the first layer of dirt away across the road, he was right behind me with the shovel. After a little rest, I would make my second pass to get to the proper depth and he was right there, digging, straightening, spreading the dirt on the downhill side. It just went so smoothly. It was a quick strike but a very effective one and a critical one to help preserve our road. We shall see how well we did in the Spring. Thanks boys.
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